Online payment transfer and identity management system and method

ABSTRACT

A person-to-person (P2P) payment platform and identity management system which facilitates online banking by allowing consumers to send and receive money in real-time, with no special registration outside of the users&#39; existing banking relationship, and under the security, brand and control of their own respective banks. A central clearing facility (CCF) coordinates and manages payments for users through partner financial institutions. Customers initiate payments within their online banking accounts or other bank delivery channels, without setting up separate accounts profiles and passwords. The CCF is invisible, and allows the customer to access the bank&#39;s delivery channel; select a recipient from a list of past payees or enter a new recipient; specify a payment amount, an expiry date and the account from which to draw the funds, and optionally write a personalized message; receive immediate confirmation of the transaction, following which an email message is sent to the recipient advising of payment with links to various methods of collection, and receive an email message confirmation when the recipient accepts the payment. The recipient establishes his identity by providing responses to one or more customer-defined challenge-response questions, the accuracy of which must be verified before any financial transaction will be effected.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for online monetary transfers. In particular, the invention relates to an online payment and identity management system and method for delivering payments from a financial institution over a global computer network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In the recent past a number of non-financial institution technology firms have bypassed banks by launching independent, Internet-based person-to-person (P2P) payment mechanisms. Most such services require consumers to register and debit a credit card or bank account before sending a payment. Recipients of payments receive email notifications with a specially coded link to register and authenticate before receiving several payment options, such as depositing into a bank or credit card account.

[0003] Due to consumer demand and the “viral” nature of these mechanisms (by compelling recipients to register in order to collect payments), uptake has been significant. Consumers want a convenient Internet mechanism to pay for online purchases and to replace “one-off” checks and cash payments, both domestically and internationally. For example, consider the millions of consumers who regularly wire money to family members that live abroad. For traditional financial institutions, the advent of P2P payments represents both a threat and an opportunity. Banks risk losing customer relationships to third-parties that will quickly try to expand their offerings into other traditional banking functions, competing with online checking accounts, business accounts and merchant payment services.

[0004] With non-bank start-ups acquiring P2P market share, banks risk never recouping their massive investments in online infrastructure. Once a non-bank has entered the P2P payment transfer market, there is an opportunity to go beyond free P2P payments and offer consumers a fill range of financial services, such as interest bearing sweep accounts, low-fee mutual funds and business accounts equipped to accept merchant payment.

[0005] Unlike other pure-play Internet banks, which have spent millions of dollars on advertising to promote their brands, non-bank P2P payment transfer firms have employed P2P payments to drive the initial adoption of their service and, in the process, have significantly reduced the average customer acquisition cost. Once a non-bank P2P provider makes inroads into a bank's customer relationships, it becomes easier to gain further ground. As a result, financial institutions face the danger of disintermediation by aggressive non-bank up-starts. Demand for such services has been so high that some banks are offering P2P payments to position themselves against third-parties and to acquire online customers. They include portals designed to aggressively capture new clients.

[0006] Competition with on-line banking services is arising from other payment providers in other forms as well, such as auction payments, online gift certificates, event, micropayments and stored-value, payment processing, global payments and specialty consumer payments. Most of these P2P payment services are positioned to operate outside of the traditional financial system. As such, consumers are forced to use third-party P2P services requiring personal financial information. This raises a number of privacy and security concerns. Moreover, poor performance by a non-bank third party (which is typically not regulated to the extent that banks and other financial institutions are) can undermine consumers' perception of the reliability of on-line financial service transactions generally.

[0007] Furthermore, consumers are suffering from password fatigue, and many are looking to simplify the manner in which day to day transactions and activities are conducted. Consumers look to their banks, which have already established the requisite credibility in financial dealings, to offer additional services from their core banking relationship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention provides a person-to-person (P2P) payment platform and identity management system which facilitates online banking by allowing bank customers to send and receive money in real-time, with no special registration requirement outside of the customers' existing banking relationship, and under the security, brand and control of their own respective banks.

[0009] The invention provides an invisible application service provider in the form of a central clearing facility (CCF) which coordinates and manages payments for customers, nationally and internationally, through partner financial institutions. According to the invention, customers send payments from within their online banking accounts, under their bank's existing authentication and security. Thus, customers can transfer money directly from an existing online banking offering without setting up separate accounts profiles and passwords. Customers trust banks to move money more securely than non-bank third-parties, and as such will more readily respond to a payment solution offered under their bank's security provisions.

[0010] The CCF is invisible, and effectively operates under the bank's brand so the bank retains the entire customer goodwill and developed brand recognition. In addition, each payment, in particular those delivered by e-mail, prompts recipients who don't bank online to sign up for their bank's Internet-based services to deposit payments directly into their accounts, thus increasing the bank's goodwill and facilitating the cross-selling of financial services. The e-mail payment option is a high-demand functionality that provides recognizable customer value and replaces customer inconvenience with real-time transactions and convenience to create more positive customer experiences. In addition to being able to initiate and receive payments using online banking services accessible via the web, customers can also utilize automated teller machines (ATMs), wireless networks, telephone, and any other access means provided by the financial institution to its customers.

[0011] In the preferred embodiment, to make a P2P payment the customer:

[0012] 1. Accesses the online banking service;

[0013] 2. Selects a recipient from a list of past payees or enters new recipient information to create a new payee;

[0014] 3. Specifies a payment amount, the account from which to draw the funds, and optionally an expiry date and a personalized message to the recipient; and

[0015] 4. Confirms the transaction to authorize the bank to draw the funds, following which notification is sent to the recipient advising of payment with referrals to various methods of collection; and

[0016] 5. Receives a confirmation message when the recipient accepts the payment.

[0017] The recipient may:

[0018] 1. “Web enable” an existing account or open online banking services;

[0019] 2. Deposit the payment into any bank account;

[0020] 3. Deposit the funds into a credit card account;

[0021] 4. Request delivery of a paper check; or

[0022] 5. Receive funds directly if the online banking service is an ATM.

[0023] The invention thus renders P2P payments under the control of the bank and eliminates the need for the bank's customers to use a third-party service. The bank controls all front-end consumer touchpoints including end-user communications. The bank also has the ability to control how P2P payment capability drives new revenue sources, cuts costs and increases market share, to create new revenue streams, reduce acquisition costs of new customers, increase marketing and cross-sell opportunities and reduce dependence on less efficient delivery channels.

[0024] The invention supports different frequencies of payment and multiple currencies, and can be deployed on all bank delivery channels, including wireless services. All of these services can generate new revenue opportunities for online business, complemented with tools that enable the bank to track and control usage.

[0025] The CCF's infrastructure is secure and scalable, able to employ the latest encryption technologies and security measures to deliver sound and secure transactions. The invention allows the bank to determine and configure a wide array of security parameters, such as maximum transaction limits, to suit each particular institution's risk tolerances. If payments are undeliverable or unretrieved, the sender can have the funds re-credited to their bank account or re-send the payment. A simple, yet robust data interface enables the bank's Internet service to connect quickly and securely to the CCF central facility with minimal diversion of its technical resources.

[0026] The invention thus builds on the bank's relationship with its client, by adding new functionality to block out third-party online financial service providers and strengthen the existing relationship. Moreover, the invention forecloses the need for account, ID, password and other inconvenient administrative requirements that third-party financial services providers must ask of consumers. The bank has the opportunity to leverage existing security and Internet payment infrastructures, replace consumer inconvenience with convenience and provide a facility for real-time email payments between customers of the same or different financial institutions.

[0027] The CCF can coordinate payment transactions between customers banking at both partner and non-partner financial institutions. It handles and stores all of the payment relationships among customers and manages the authentication and approval of fund disbursements to payment recipients.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention,

[0029]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a real-time clearing network for P2P payments according to the invention,

[0030]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the payor-payee relationship in the network of FIG. 1,

[0031]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating user and data interfaces according to the invention,

[0032]FIGS. 4a and 4 b are block diagrams illustrating an online P2P payment transaction where both payer and payee bank at a partner financial institution,

[0033]FIGS. 5a and 5 b are block diagrams illustrating an offline P2P payment transaction where the payee does not bank at a partner financial institution,

[0034]FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating account netting at a partner financial institution,

[0035]FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the navigation path for an online P2P payment transaction where both payer and payee bank at a partner financial institution,

[0036]FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an identity management system according to the invention,

[0037]FIGS. 9a and 9 b are diagrammatic illustrations of a sequence of user interfaces for a payer sending a payment,

[0038]FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a sample of a message to a payee,

[0039]FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of user interfaces for payee identity authentication,

[0040]FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic illustration of a user interface for a payee retrieving a payment,

[0041]FIG. 13 is a table illustrating user notifications generated according to the invention,

[0042]FIG. 14 is a table illustrating a request/response message set in the interaction between the CCF and a partner financial institution,

[0043]FIG. 15 is a table illustrating a sample message sets,

[0044]FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred security system for the CCF, and

[0045]FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating the relationship between logical service items in the system of the invention.

[0046]FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating an online P2P payment where the payee receives payment at an ATM.

[0047]FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating an online P2P payment between businesses.

[0048]FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating an online P2P payment between a customer and a retailer.

[0049]FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a network for P2P payments between a payor and a payee in different jurisdictions according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0050] The system and method of the invention enables customers of a financial institution having access to banking services over a global computer network such as the Internet to initiate electronic payments conveniently and securely from their financial institution's self-service delivery channels (Online banking service, ATM, Wireless, Telephone Banking) or the financial institution's branch. The invention provides financial institutions with an easy-to-integrate mechanism to facilitate and manage person-to-person (P2P) payments, leveraging existing find transfer mechanisms that reside in the middleware of a financial institution's banking service—the component that allows customers to move money between their own accounts—thereby avoiding significant back-end development. The invention extends an institution's existing infrastructure to facilitate funds transfers in and out of consolidation trust accounts established at partner financial institutions in each supported currency.

[0051] To process P2P payments, the invention helps partner institutions feed transaction interfaces with the appropriate account numbers, parameters and authorizations. “Netting” processes balance the positions of consolidation trust accounts across all partner financial institutions. As a result, a private, real-time clearing network is created among partner institutions to settle electronic payments initiated and caught by their customers. This allows financial institutions to maintain control over their user interface by communicating with a central clearing facility (CCF) through industry-standard messaging adaptors. The CCF manages the status and accounting mechanisms to ensure that users at each end of a payment transfer are validated and notified throughout each step of the transaction. The CCF features a secure, open front-end to allow users that do not currently bank at partner institutions to “catch” payments using offline mechanisms that can reach and credit most accounts. If payees do not wish to receive payment electronically, they can request a check mailed to their address or, if receiving payment at an automated teller machine (ATM), they can obtain the funds directly.

[0052] The CCF is based on an application service provider model that uses industry-standard interfaces to integrate with partner financial institutions' existing systems. The invention acts as a common platform among banks, interacting with each to support the efficient exchange of P2P payments. The net result is one of ease and efficiency: each financial institution establishes a one-to-one relationship with the CCF, eliminating the prospect of integrating disparate systems.

[0053]FIG. 1 illustrates an Application Service Provider Model which allows financial institutions to rapidly deploy P2P payments on their appropriate delivery channel (Online Banking, ATM, Wireless, etc.) To maximize security and to minimize the risk of fraud, payments are always initiated from within the authenticated layer of a partner financial institution's delivery channel. As a result, each payment that enters the system for delivery originates from a trusted source. As shown in FIG. 2, payees can receive their funds through the originating institution (Payee #1) or at another affiliated partner (Payee #2). Alternatively, customers banking at unaffiliated financial institutions (Payee #3) can request payment through offline disbursement mechanisms offered at a secure Web site powered by the CCF. Partner financial institutions thus become a secure, real-time clearing network for P2P payments.

[0054] The architecture of the invention, illustrated in FIG. 3, consists of data and user interfaces that facilitate the movement of money between customers. Behind the scenes, a secure CCF Web site allows partner institutions to manage security, marketing and customer support centrally through sophisticated administrative and reporting tools.

[0055] To enable the flow of funds between parties, according to the invention, consolidation trust accounts are established by each partner financial institution, as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4 b. Accounts are held for each currency supported by the system. As a result, no exchange of funds between partner institutions is necessary to settle individual payments between customers. Instead, payments are executed by transferring funds from a customer's account to the consolidation trust account at the originating institution. If the payee is a customer at a partner institution, receipt of funds is accomplished by transferring monies in real-time from the consolidation trust account at the payee's institution to the customer's account. Funds are available to the payee for collection immediately after payment notification is sent. Collection may be effected by a withdrawal from an ATM.

[0056] A front-end Web service allows a payee banking at a non-affiliated institution to specify an offline mechanism for payment retrieval. The payee can select the transfer of funds to their accounts at CPA and NACHA member institutions (through an EFT and ACH processor, respectively) or crediting to most common credit cards through a remittance processor or payment gateway, as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5 b. The invention also offers the option of a payee requesting delivery of a paper check by traditional mail for a nominal processing fee deducted directly from the amount they are receiving. Batch file payments are securely transferred to processing agencies on a nightly basis. EFT, ACH and credit card disbursements typically take between one to four business days while check delivery takes from five to seven business days for North American delivery.

[0057] All communication with “offline” consumers include prompts to drive adoption of a partner institution's online banking service. Through a variety of precautionary measures, described below, the invention ensures the security and validity of all payment requests and disbursements and provides detailed reporting and transaction tracing to its partner banks.

[0058] To move money between customers, the invention leverages the existing internal funds transfer module utilized by institutions to facilitate customer transfers. With a few modifications, this piece of middleware (usually located on an application server) is enabled to execute transfers between a customer's account and a consolidation trust account for disbursements. The invention operates in reverse at the recipient's end. If a payee catches a payment at a partner institution, funds are immediately transferred from a consolidation trust account into the payee's own account.

[0059] To minimize liability, funds awaiting delivery are stored in accounts at partner institutions in each supported currency. The CCF controls the acceptance and disbursement of funds in these accounts, but does not take direct ownership of the money. Instead, the trust accounts are actually internal or suspense accounts maintained by the partner institutions, who earn the float on the funds awaiting disbursement. The CCF provides a detailed accounting of all the money flowing in and out of these accounts. The CCF acts as a control point, approving financial transactions undertaken by partner institutions to move funds between customer and trust accounts in real-time.

[0060] The CCF network, acts as a netting center. Instead of settling each individual transaction, the CCF becomes a virtual clearinghouse, adding and subtracting inter-partner payables and receivables and then providing the partner institutions with settlement instructions to balance the trust accounts, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0061] This netting activity is captured by a robust, double-entry accounting system. A continuous transaction journal at the CCF mirrors each of the trust accounts maintained at partner institutions to facilitate auditing and reporting. The system is designed for resilience and will catch accounting imbalances caused by the failure of one or more mid-operation system processes. The CCF utilizes these accounting and reporting mechanisms to facilitate the following activities:

[0062] a) Daily reconciliation between the CCF and its partner institutions: The CCF matches transactions in its journal against those tracked by each partner institution and then reports any exceptions. Exception reports are investigated and addressed to ensure that accounts are balanced.

[0063] b) Daily settlement reporting for partner institutions. The CCF calculates monetary obligations of each partner institution to all other partner institutions in the network based on the origin and destination of completed payments. Each partner institution is provided with a detail list of all corresponding payments as well as a summary of monies owed to the other partners. Partner institutions settle with each other outside of the CCF by using existing large value fund transfer mechanisms available in their jurisdiction.

[0064] c) Feed the CCF's finance and accounting systems: The transaction journal generates a number of accounting and control system reports.

[0065] d) Provide audit reports: Where an audit is required, the CCF uses the transaction journal to generate accounting reports for all finds that have yet to be disbursed. The CCF also retains historical records to facilitate account investigations.

[0066] e) Exception reporting: Partner institutions can send their client fund transaction log (covering activity in their consolidation trust accounts) to the CCF to match these against the transaction journal for inconsistencies. If the two reports do not balance, an exception report is generated so that the situation can be investigated immediately and corrected if necessary.

[0067] Where the payer and payee are located in different jurisdictions, requiring a currency exchange, the settlement procedure incorporates a foreign exchange facility which maintains trust accounts in each jurisdiction in the local currency.

[0068]FIG. 7 illustrates the payer and payee navigation paths where both payer and payee are existing clients with Web banking privileges at partner financial institutions.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 8, the invention provides an identity management system that leverages secure payment relationships between remote consumers. Each customer (payer or payee) is granted a unique identity that is assigned when he or she first registers with the service. A payer can establish a list of recurring personal payees as required. While payee records are immediately added to the CCF database, they are not authenticated until they correctly answer one or more challenge-response questions defined by the payer and after successfully logging onto his or her institution's online banking service or other delivery channel. This process establishes both the payee and the specific “channel” where the payee has opted to deposit funds. If a customer wishes to credit an account at another institution on a subsequent transaction, the customer must re-authenticate with the original challenge-response questions before that new “channel” is secured. The challenge-response questions may include the input of a secret code provided by the payer to the payee. In another embodiment, identity management is handled entirely by the authentication procedures of the partner institutions, thus allowing the institutions to manage the risk of fraud entirely by implementing their own security standards without the use of a payer-defined challenge-response question.

[0070] The identity management aspect of the invention provides the following advantages:

[0071] a) Increased system security: Customer account information from partner institutions is never stored at the CCF facility. The CCF completes all processing against its own internal IDs, which are established when each customer auto-enrolls to send payments. Each CCF internal ID is referenced against an institution's customer user ID for message synchronization.

[0072] b) Transaction tracing: The CCF holds a unique identifier for each customer it encounters. The CCF layers contact information for each customer identity in its database to facilitate notifications and authorizations. Each identity is cross-referenced back to the partner institutions' customer IDs to facilitate transactions, reporting, support and tracking without compromising personal information.

[0073] c) Enhanced consumer experience: The identity management model of the invention enables customers to retain “trusted” payment relationships to simplify future payments. These payee relationships are delivered on demand to a partner's system to encourage quick re-use of the “trusted” payee for subsequent transactions, thereby enhancing the user experience. These payee relationships can be deployed to other bank channels, such as WAP-enabled phones, through the message interface, to launch subsequent payments first established through a partner's Web banking service.

[0074] d) The consumer is validated on each channel before moving finds: Since the payment system offers customers a variety of mechanisms for “catching” payments, one may choose an account at a different partner institution into which funds are deposited on a subsequent visit. In this case, the payment system again asks the same challenge-response questions before validating the new payment channel, at which point the new account is deemed “trusted” and added to the consumer's identity.

[0075] Through the identity management function, other fraud protection and security measures are employed by the payment system in addition to the authentication of payment relationships.

[0076] a) Institution-controlled security parameters: Each institution can define security parameters that govern transactions originating from their banking service. These default parameters include transaction limits, daily transaction limits per customer and the maximum number of days before an unretrieved payment is sent back to the payer for recrediting.

[0077] b) Initiation of payments: All payments originate from within an authenticated banking environment (for example, web, telephone, wireless network, ATM, or another access point to banking services) at a partner financial institution. One can initiate an email payment only when logged on, ensuring that such transactions are validated back to customer bank accounts at partner institutions.

[0078] c) Receiving payments: The recipient must authenticate and correctly answer one or more challenge-response questions before the retrieval of funds is allowed. The partner institution controls the number and type of challenge-response questions the payee must answer before the relationship is authenticated.

[0079] d) Audit trail: A detailed audit trail records all pending and historical payments.

[0080] e) Transaction integrity: The CCF's transaction management service guarantees that database transactions are completed accurately. If any one operation fails, the entire set of operations is rolled back. A global transaction identifier is created when a client application initiates a transaction. The transaction service monitors participants for failures and inactivity. Records accessed during a transaction are locked until its completion. A rollback procedure is executed when a transaction must be stopped due to unexpected client termination, server/network failure or other events that may interrupt end-to-end completion of the transaction. This procedure checks recently active transactions and then determines whether it should be rolled back or committed.

[0081] A number of measures ensure the security of customer data. The CCF does not store a partner institution's customer account numbers. Data related to customers banking at unaffiliated institutions are stored in a secure database, which is located behind a firewall and encryption processes. Administrative user IDs and passwords are stored behind a firewall in an encrypted format. Administrative users can define multiple security groups and access restrictions in accordance to job function. Challenge-response questions provide an extra mechanism for authenticating the payee in addition to existing logon processes at the payee's own Web banking service. The network connecting partner institutions, administrative users and unaffiliated consumers is divided into several isolation and security zones with restricted access among zones. Industry-standard measures are used throughout the network to ensure security. Intrusion detection devices, traffic encryption, packet inspection and application proxies minimize risk to the network. All communications between the CCF and its partner institutions take place over a dedicated line or VPN and are encrypted.

[0082] A number of exception processes and error handling mechanisms further ensure the CCF's integrity:

[0083] a) Undeliverable payments: If the payer specifies an invalid email address and the resulting notification bounces back to the server, the payer is automatically contacted and presented the option to re-credit his or her account or correct the recipient's email address to resend the payment notification.

[0084] b) Unretrieved (or expired) payments: With the CCF's back-office administration tool, affiliate institutions can each define a maximum period of time before a payment expires if uncollected by a payee. On a daily basis, the system will run a task to detect all expired payments. Notifications are sent to the payer and payee indicating expiration. The payer is then presented with the option to send it again or transfer the funds back into a specified account.

[0085] c) Cancelled payments: At any time before retrieval, the payer can cancel a payment. After logging on to the originating Web banking facility or other delivery channel, the payer simply cancels the payment transaction by indicating the account to be credited and sending an optional memo indicating why the payment was cancelled. The institution's banking service then sends a message to the CCF containing the payment reference number. The CCF will verify that the payee has not retrieved the funds and the system will change the payment status to ‘Cancelled’ while sending notification to the payee.

[0086] d) Rejected payments: The payee can reject a payment transaction from within the authenticated Web banking environment of an affiliate institution or upon authentication at the CCF Web site. If the payment is rejected, an email is sent to the payer with instructions to log on to his or her Web banking facility or other delivery channel to select an account to re-credit the funds.

[0087] e) Invalid account information: If payees select an offline electronic method to catch a payment, there exists the potential that incorrect account information might have been entered despite the processes performed at the interface layer. Transactions that cannot be completed through the ACH/EFT/RPS processing facilities are returned to the CCF. The payee is then notified of the problem and given an opportunity to re-enter the account information or specify an alternate means of retrieval. If the subsequent attempts fail to deposit the funds into the payee's designated account, the funds are returned to the payer and both parties are appropriately notified.

[0088] f) Reconciliation process: On a daily basis, each partner institution sends a file containing all transfers to and from the partner's consolidation trust accounts. Payment reference numbers are reconciled against information stored at the CCF.

[0089] With reference to FIG. 18, a P2P payment may take place as follows:

[0090] To initiate a P2P payment, the customer logs onto the partner institution's online banking service via the web, telephone, wireless network, ATM (as shown in FIG. 18), or other means. The customer selects the payment feature from the financial institution's menu of services and chooses from their list of prior payees. To enter a new recipient, the customer is prompted to enter the payee's name and e-mail address, if notification of the payment is to be delivered by e-mail to the payee. The customer specifies payment amount, the account from which to draw the funds are specified, and optionally an expiry date and a personalized message to the recipient. To add an additional security measure to validate the recipient before fluids are disbursed, the customer can create one or more challenge-response questions and provide the requisite answers. If the customer logs on using an ATM, these payment details are communicated from the ATM to the ATM switch. As well, the customer is authenticated using the institution's security standards; where the customer logs onto an ATM, authentication of the customer is handled by the ATM switch in communication with the host system of the banking service. The payment details are communicated by the ATM switch to the CCF, which assigns a unique payment reference number and communicates this number to the ATM switch. The ATM switch then communicates with the host system, and the customer's account is debited for the payment and the financial institution's trust suspense account is correspondingly credited. The ATM switch communicates with the ATM to cause the ATM to provide a receipt to the customer, which includes the payment reference number, then communicates the successful completion of this portion of the transaction to the CCF. Notification is delivered to the recipient announcing the payment.

[0091] The recipient's personalized notification indicates the amount being paid, from whom, the name of the originating institution, as well as options for collection. In one embodiment, the notification takes the form of a personalized e-mail to the recipient, as shown in FIG. 10. The payment's originating institution may promote its services through banner advertisements in the body of the message. The invention provides multiple options for retrieving finds, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0092] If the recipient already banks online with a partner institution and has previously received an electronic payment via this system, the recipient may select from a list of payment options to log onto their online bank account straight from a link provided in the e-mail notification of payment, optionally identifies the payment by reference number and answer the challenge-response question if it is the first payment from that particular sender. This validates the relationship between both parties. The recipient may choose to log onto their online bank account using another communications protocol, such as via a wireless network, telephone, or ATM.

[0093] If the recipient banks online with a partner institution, but is receiving a P2P payment for the very first time, a link in the e-mail notification sends the customer to a directory of CCF partner institutions. Recipients can use their online banking service to instantly credit any of their accounts. The registration process is fully automated.

[0094] Recipients, who are not currently banking online, are prompted to either “Web enable” their existing accounts at a CCF partner institution (such as the sender's bank) or apply for an account with online access at another partner, as shown in FIG. 12. To facilitate this process, the CCF Web site provides all appropriate links and information. Currently, the enrollment process for acquiring online banking services at a financial institution can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks, especially if passwords must be issued by mail. In the case of a delay, the CCF will hold the payment for the appropriate number of days; customers must wait for their account to be activated at a partner institution. An e-mail reminder is sent to the customer to activate the service and retrieve their funds.

[0095] The recipient then selects the account into which to deposit the funds. The institution validates the recipient's identity, and communicates the payment details to the CCF, which verifies the payment and issues permission to disburse the money. The financial institution then debits a suspense account, and credits the recipient's account for the payment. If the recipient chooses to receive the funds directly, a cash account is credited instead and the finds are disbursed. Once the funds credit or disbursement is completed, the CCF is informed of the successful completion. The finds may be advanced immediately by the recipient's institution, because the finds have been guaranteed by the originating institution's verification of the identity of the sender.

[0096] The complete payment transaction is decentralized; the first component, the initiation of payment, is controlled by the sender's financial institution, and the second component of the transaction, the receipt of the payment, is controlled by the recipient's institution. It can also be seen that due to the authentication of each party to the transaction independently, by each party's own financial institution, the payer's identity does not need to be known by the payee in order to effect payment. The payer may use an alias or e-mail address only, if desired, in communication with the payee.

[0097] The funds may alternatively be deposited to a credit card or other bank account. To provide maximum payment reach, the CCF processes payments to non-partner accounts on a fee-for-service basis. Recipients may opt to deposit the payment into a credit card or other bank account not sponsored by a partner institution. Recipients are directed to the CCF Web site, where they can register for the service. When registered, recipients specify a credit card or bank account into which to deposit the funds. Such requests are batched and sent each day to payment processing services to be credited via ACSS, ACH and RPS services.

[0098] Payment recipients who require a check or are uncomfortable making transactions online, can request the CCF to issue a paper check for mail delivery. At every turn, payment recipients are prompted to use a partner institution to receive their funds. If they choose to receive a payment using a non-partner mechanism, the CCF will facilitate the transaction through its Web site.

[0099] In a further embodiment, payments may be made to a recipient who does not have a bank account via an ATM and is not registered with the CCF. The ATM, rather than requiring a bank card to initiate any transaction, provides direct access to the menu option to receive a P2P payment. To verify the identity of the recipient, since there is no bank card authentication, preferably the recipient must at least respond to the challenge-response question and/or provide the payment reference number. The ATM will communicate these payment details to the CCF, which will verify the payment and issue permission to disburse the money.

[0100] The CCF's notification server provides information to both parties regarding the status of a payment transaction. Each of the messages is based on a standard template, so that the payee receives the same message irrespective of the originating partner institution. Notifications have multilingual capabilities. FIG. 13 shows options for end-user notifications generated by the system of the invention.

[0101] Payments between businesses and businesses, or between businesses and customers, follow the same format as the payments described above. However, if a large number of payments are transacted, it becomes impracticable for a business to log on and collect each payment as they arrive. Instead, business customers of participating institutions may enroll in a commercial registry which provides a funds consolidation function.

[0102] Business customers who choose to participate in the commercial registry are first qualified for participation and enrolled by their institution. The institution in turn provides this certified business customer information to a CCF commercial registry, which is used to validate and certify the identity and contact information of the business company as a legitimate operating concern with a bona fide banking relationship when payment transactions are initiated. Preferably, this information will include the official name, address, and contact information of the business, trade name, and a verified e-mail address.

[0103] A subset of this financial institution-certified information is available to any individual or business that receives a payment request or wishes to originate a merchant payment to this business customer, which provides assurance that the funds are being directed to the appropriate recipient.

[0104] A business customer may generate a payment request for one of its own customers by delivering an invoice and directing the customer to access his or her own financial institution services to effect payment to the business as shown in FIG. 19. The business customer logs onto its partner institution's online banking service and enters invoice data either manually or by importing a payment file from a third party accounting tool. The partner institution transfers the payment details to the CCF, which assigns a tracking number and optionally a universal resource locator (URL). The payment details are stored by the CCF, which then notifies the customer (payer) of the invoice. Preferably, the invoice is delivered by e-mail and directs the customer to its partner institution's online banking service. The customer may choose to approve payment immediately, or may choose to view additional information regarding the invoice if such information is available (for example, through the URL or another hyperlink). When the payment is approved, the CCF completes the payment in the manner described above and issues a receipt to both parties. The business customer can then log onto its institution's online banking service to collect the funds and optionally export transaction statements to a third party accounting tool.

[0105] In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 20, no invoice is issued to the customer, but the customer initiates the payment as part of a retail transaction in an online environment. For example, in a web-based auction, the customer clicks on a “pay me” link appearing in a vendor's auction listing. Clicking on this link passes payment details to the CCF, together with a token identifying the vendor and an optional return URL. In the meantime, the customer is referred to a partner institution, approves the transaction, and the payment is completed as generally described above.

[0106] When the payment is made, the business customer can choose to receive notification of each payment, and choose a deposit account and collect the funds. Alternatively, because it is impractical for the business customer to respond in this manner to a large number of payments, the payment system can be configured to consolidate funds by accumulating cleared payments, and then sweeping the accumulated funds into a default commercial account at the end of the period. The funds may be swept into the commercial account on a periodic basis, such as a daily basis, or once the accumulated funds reach a certain threshold value or the number of payments reaches a threshold number.

[0107] Business-to-business payments, for example, payment by a business customer to a supplier, may also be effected using this system. If the recipient business is also enrolled in the commercial registry, the CCF will handle the payment using the funds consolidation method. To enable transactions between two or more payment systems, for example two domestic payment systems in a cross-border transaction, the financial institutions in each country are affiliated with a regional CCF in that country. Customers in each country use their partner institution's authentication process to log into their selected delivery channel (Internet, telephone, ATM, wireless, etc.). Each regional CCF is responsible for storing, sending and receiving all payments which originate and terminate at that site. Only a limited amount of data is replicated between the regional sites when it is required to perform a function. Preferably, any replication is carried out based on an asynchronous remote XML request, which carries the data to be replicated. There is therefore no requirement for real time data synchronization between regional CCF sites.

[0108] An international CCF site is primarily responsible for coordinating the exchange of data between the regional CCF sites. The international CCF also maintains a global directory of affiliated institutions. A foreign exchange (FX) facility maintains a database of exchange rates and manages currency exchange transactions, and maintains trust accounts in each jurisdiction in the local currency.

[0109] For an international payment, the CCF switch at the point of origin of the payment queries the global directory to determine which institution and CCF regional switch has been designated by the recipient. If a currency exchange is required, the CCF switch at the point of origin also communicates with an FX facility to determine the exchange rate and book the currency exchange. The payment details are replicated by the regional CCF to the regional CCF of the recipient using an asynchronous messaging mechanism.

[0110] At the point of destination, the regional CCF delivers a payment notification to the intended recipient. The notification includes an encrypted payment reference number, which contains a payment identification code to identify the payment's point of origin. The notification directs the recipient to an affiliate institution to claim the payment. The recipient logs onto the selected banking service and receives the funds. Funds transfer occurs by means of transfers between suspense accounts and customer accounts, as described above.

[0111] Settlement between financial institutions takes place on a periodic basis, for example at the end of each business day. Based on agreed cut-off times, the CCF provides each member institution with reconciliation and settlement information. This data is used to reconcile transactions between the CCF and each institution, as well as to determine the institution's monetary obligations to other members in the network to effect settlement.

[0112] Where the institutions are located in different jurisdictions, settlement takes place between the originating and destination institutions using the exchange settlement facility's accounts in the jurisdiction of each institution, based on settlement advice provided by the CCF. With reference to FIG. 21, the international CCF site is networked to a number of regional CCF sites. The participating financial institutions in each region are connected to its corresponding regional switch. Each of these institutions maintains a suspense account. The FX facility has an international site networked with local sites, which are in communication with each of the institutions in the same region. Each local FX site maintains a local currency settlement trust account on behalf of the international CCF, through which all foreign exchange settlement will take place.

[0113] The networked CCFs provide settlement advice to the financial institutions so that the institutions may make aggregate transfers. These transfers are made to the local currency settlement trust accounts in the local currency, and not to the other institutions. Each transfer may be carried out by means of wire payment to provide finality of transfer.

[0114] Access to functions beneath the user interface layer is provided utilizing a request/response XML-based message set. All communications are encrypted and signed. FIG. 14 illustrates high-level interaction between a partner institution's middleware and the CCF facility to reconcile a payment to a new payee. FIG. 15 shows a number of possible message sets and explains how they are used to facilitate P2P payments. Each message set consists of a request initiated by a partner institution's middleware and a response returned by the CCF. These messages invoke additional system processes at the CCF.

[0115] According to the invention, the use of specific delivery channels is left to the discretion of the partner institution. While the primary channel is online banking, the service can be extended to telephone banking and host-based ATMs.

[0116] Currently, consumers access Web banking services almost exclusively on a browser residing on a personal computer. As Internet-enabled appliances gain mass acceptance and continue to improve in terms of cost, connectivity, display, memory and processing capabilities, financial institutions will offer banking services through these devices. A single interface is required between the institution and the CCF to support multiple Web-enabled devices. Java-based adapters allow institutions to communicate internally with other application servers that support specific devices.

[0117] Once financial institutions have implemented P2P payment capabilities on their Web banking service, they can utilize the message-based interface of the invention to support a synchronized, multi-channel delivery strategy to offer users of non-PC devices access to the same list of personal payees from their Web channel. Due to current data-entry interface limitations in mobile devices (such as WAP-enabled cell phones, ATMs and telephone banking VRUs), it may be more practical to display a customer's pre-existing list of personal payees through these channels. The identity management system of the invention has the capability to store lists of customers' established payment linkages from prior payment requests.

[0118] For example, a consumer wants to re-credit an acquaintance for picking up the dinner tab at a restaurant. This payee could log onto their institution's wireless banking service, select the payment recipient from his or her list of past personal payees and enter a monetary amount and a specific account from which to draw the funds. Upon receipt of the payment request, the CCF immediately launches a payment notification and the recipient can authenticate to deposit the funds the next time he or she accesses email. Mobile P2P payments will help institutions extend their wireless banking platforms, increase adoption and leverage their investments in that channel.

[0119] Most banks currently offer some form of telephone banking service through an automated voice response unit (VRU). Typically, customers that authenticate with a PIN number can select and pay merchants from a previously determined personal list. A list of pre-existing personal payees stored by the CCF is akin to the merchant list concept in the previous example and can be presented on the VRU platform through the CCF's XML messaging interface.

[0120] Similarly to Web and telephone banking delivery, the institution can display a customer's existing list of personal payees on ATMs for convenient re-use by leveraging the messaging interface and identity management system of the invention.

[0121] A Web-based publishing tool is supplied with the administration suite enabling marketing managers at institutions to control the email banners that appear on these notifications. The CCF can send notifications to employees within partner institutions. Notification functionality is determined by the institution through the CCF's Web-based administration and reporting tools.

[0122] The invention provides a secure Web-based interface for staff at partner institutions to manage customer service, business planning, marketing and key system and security parameters. Different job categories allow bank staff varying levels of access to information and functions of the invention.

[0123] The financial institution's system security administrator possesses root-level access that grants privileges to other staff. This administrator can define and update certain system-wide security parameters that govern transactions originating from the institution's Web banking service. These parameters include maximum transaction limits, daily transaction limits per consumer and the maximum number of days before an unretrieved payment is sent back to the payer for re-crediting.

[0124] An institution's Web service channel manager can publish and update marketing messages that appear on CCF-triggered email payment notifications. As well, the channel manager can view all multilingual email templates delivered to customers to facilitate payments and direct customers to URLs that open online banking services or logon to existing accounts. This person can also view all system-generated business metric reports that yield rich statistics, such as payment volumes, customer activation levels, methods consumers use to catch payments, average payment amounts and the average time between payment initiation and final settlement.

[0125] Customer service representatives (CSRs) can make inquiries using transaction confirmation codes that facilitate payment tracing. The invention provides a complete audit trail for any activity related to a particular customer or payment transaction within a certain time period. CSRs can provide support by viewing payment-processing information. Detailed lists of system-generated messages (and explanations) as well as daily schedules for processing are some of the items that CSRs can access in responding to customer inquiries. The system also features CCF bulletin boards to publish messages that could impact upon customers' immediate use of the service.

[0126] The architecture of the invention, illustrated in FIG. 16, provides performance, security, availability and scalability. The invention delivers protection from unauthorized external or internal access by implementing several industry standard mechanisms including: multi-layer firewall structure; secure access lockdown of Web servers and mail servers; extensive intrusion detection; documentation security and escalation procedures. The invention supports a cluster server architecture designed to provide maximum fault tolerance, performance and scalability.

[0127] The invention uses XML based request/response messaging to exchange information with financial institutions. Each XML message consists of a standard header and variable body sections. The system is designed to support versioning and to be backwards compatible as new features are added or new means of access to online banking are provided to customers. For example, where an institution requests a payment transaction on behalf of its client the financial institution's own Internet banking application presents the appropriate form to the customer, gathers and validates the data entered by the customer and formats the XML request such as: <?xml version = “1.0” encoding=“utf-8”?> <!DOCTYPE REQPMTBGRQ SYSTEM “file://reqpmtbgrq.dtd”> <CCFREQUEST>   <MESSAGEHDR>     <MESSAGETYPE>8</MESSAGEGETTYPE>     <MESSAGETYPEVER>1.1</MESSAGETYPEVER>     <FIID>10</FIID>     <TRANTOKEN>X35JCBE</TRANTOKEN>   </MESSAGEHDR>   <MESSAGEBODY>     <FIUSERID>56450983045034</FIUSERID>     <CUSTOMERID>B7856434U4</CUSTOMERID>     <CURRENCY>CAD</CURRENCY>     <PMTAMOUNT>65.00</PMTAMOUNT>     <EXPIRYDATE>2000-09-16-23:59:00.000000     </EXPIRYDATE>     <MEMO>Here is the money I owe you for dinner. Thanks     </MEMO>   </MESSAGEBODY> </CCFREQUEST>

[0128] The invention executes the appropriate transaction and return a response to the Financial Institution using a similar format.

[0129] The preferred production system runs on a hardware platform under the Unix Operating System and uses commercially available and reliable Application and Database Management Software. The system is housed in data center facility. The preferred embodiment of the invention employs Java 2 Enterprise Edition technology coupled with an enterprise relational database system using a clustered, fault-tolerant configuration which is both scalable and extensible, providing the ability to easily manage and update with additional features and services as required.

[0130] Applying multi-tier distributed design patterns, the invention is composed of four logical service items (presentation, messaging, business and data), shown in FIG. 17, that are physically distributed through several redundant, fault-tolerant and balanced implementation systems. Presentation logic is the link between the client interface and the business logic. Using JavaBean and Servlet specifications, the presentation logic components communicate with the business logic components (EJBs). The presentation logic is based on the concept of heterogeneous client interfaces, allowing both browser and non-browser interfaces to communicate with the CCF. The messaging layer is the link between the partner institution and the business logic. This layer consists of a number of Java servlets responsible for parsing and validating XML messages and the invocation of appropriate business components. Business logic is processed by a distributed middleware server with enabled clustering and object caching based on the Enterprise JavaBean standard. Both business logic and functional rules are maintained in a series of session beans and entity beans that are located on networked systems. Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) communicate with the associated data media and apply any relevant business rules. Data media and its associated transactions are maintained in an enterprise database system supporting both the encryption of resident data and the features that promote redundancy and reliability.

[0131] The following technologies may be employed in the implementation of the system and method of the invention:

[0132] Java 2 Standard Edition

[0133] Java™ 2Standard Edition (J2SE™) is a Web platform that enables rapid development and deployment of software applications across multiple operating systems and platforms with fewer defects than similar technologies. With significant performance gains and improved Web deployment mechanisms for enterprise, client-side Java applets and applications, J2SE Version 1.3 includes a new client Java virtual machine (JVM™), tuned libraries throughout the platform and enhancements to the Java Plug-in software for improved Web browser delivery.

[0134] Java Beans

[0135] Developed in collaboration with industry leaders, JavaBeans are a portable, platform-independent component model written in Java JavaBeans enable developers to write reusable components once and run them anywhere independent of platform.

[0136] Java 2 Enterprise Edition

[0137] The Java™ 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), defines the standard for developing multi-tier enterprise applications. J2EE simplifies enterprise applications by basing them on standardized, modular components, providing a complete set of services to those components and handling many application behavior details without complex programming. J2EE takes advantage of many Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, such as “Write Once, Run Anywhere™” portability, JDBC™ API for database access, CORBA technology for interaction with existing enterprise resources and a security model that protects data even in Internet applications. Building on this base, Java 2, Enterprise Edition, adds full support for Enterprise JavaBeans™ components, Java Servlets API, JavaServer Pages™ and XML technology.

[0138] Java Server Pages

[0139] The JavaServer Pages™ technology provides a quick and simple way to create dynamic Web content while enabling rapid development of Web-based applications that are server- and platform-independent. The Java™ Servlet API provides Web application developers with a simple and consistent mechanism for extending Web server functionality.

[0140] Enterprise Java Beans

[0141] The Enterprise JavaBeans specification defines an API that helps developers create, deploy and manage cross-platform, component-based enterprise applications that work with systems currently in use.

[0142] Java Naming and Directory Interface

[0143] This provides uniform, industry-standard and seamless connectivity between the Java platform and one's business information assets, allowing developers to deliver Java applications with unified access to multiple naming and directory services across the enterprise.

[0144] Java Database Connectivity

[0145] This provides programmers with a uniform interface to a wide range of relational databases, as well as a common base upon which higher-level tools and interfaces can be built.

[0146] Java Messaging Services

[0147] This specification provides developers with a standard Java API for enterprise messaging services, such as reliable queuing, publishing and subscription communication and various aspects of push/pull technologies.

[0148] Remote Method Invocation Over IIOP

[0149] RMI-IIOP provides developers an implementation of the Java RMI API over the Object Management Group's industry-standard Internet Inter-Orb Protocol (IIOP). It allows developers to write remote interfaces between clients and servers and implement them using Java technology and the Java RMI APIs.

[0150] XML

[0151] XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a simplified subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML, ISO 8879) that provides a file format for representing data, a schema for describing data structure and a mechanism for extending and annotating HTML with semantic information.

[0152] Secure Socket Layer API

[0153] Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the Internet security protocol for point-to-point connections. It provides protection against eavesdropping, tampering and forgery. Clients and servers establish a secure link, or “pipe,” across the Internet to protect information that is sent and received to ensure confidential, authentic and original information exchange.

[0154] Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. A payment transfer system comprising: means for accessing an online banking service; means for designating a recipient; means for specifying a payment amount and an account from which to draw funds; and means for confirming the transfer of funds.
 2. A payment transfer method comprising the steps of: accessing an online banking service; designating a recipient; specifying a payment amount and an account from which to draw funds; and confirming the transfer of funds.
 3. An identity management system comprising: means for initiating a request to respond to one or more challenge-response questions defined by a payer, and means for processing responses to the challenge-response questions, verifying the accuracy of the responses and effecting a financial transaction only where the responses are verified to be accurate.
 4. An identity management method comprising the steps of: initiating a request to respond to one or more challenge-response questions defined by a payer, processing responses to the challenge-response questions, verifying the accuracy of the responses, and effecting a financial transaction only where the responses are verified to be accurate.
 5. A payment transfer system for transferring funds from a payer to a payee, comprising: a first online banking service accessible by the payer, the first online banking service comprising means for designating a payee, means for specifying a payment amount for a transfer of funds and a payer account from which to draw funds, and means for debiting said finds from said payer account and crediting a first trust account; a second online banking service accessible by the payee, the second online banking service comprising means for identifying the payee, means for specifying a payee account to receive the funds, and means for debiting a second trust account and crediting the payee account; and means for reconciling the trust accounts of the first and second online banking services.
 6. The payment transfer method of claim 5, wherein said means for identifying the payee further comprise means for initiating a request to respond to one or more challenge-response questions defined by the payer, and means for processing responses to the challenge-response questions, verifying the accuracy of the responses and effecting a financial transaction only where the responses are verified to be accurate.
 7. A payment transfer method for transferring funds from a payer to a payee, comprising the steps of: accessing a first online banking service affiliated with the payer; designating a payee; specifying a payment amount for a transfer of funds and a payer account from which to draw funds; debiting said funds from said payer account and crediting a first trust account; accessing a first online banking service affiliated with the payee; identifying the payee; specifying a payee account to receive the funds; debiting a second trust account and crediting the payee account; and means for reconciling the first and second trust accounts.
 8. The payment transfer method of claim 7, wherein the step of identifying the payee further comprises the steps of initiating a request to respond to one or more challenge-response questions defined by the payer, processing responses to the challenge-response questions, verifying the accuracy of the responses and effecting a financial transaction only where the responses are verified to be accurate.
 9. A system for generating a payment request for a recipient, comprising: means for accessing a first online banking service; means for providing payment request data to the first online banking service, including a payment amount and an account for receiving a payment described by the payment request data; means for notifying the recipient of the payment request; means for accessing a second online banking service; means for approving the payment request on the second online banking service; means for specifying an account affiliated with the recipient for paying the payment amount of the payment request; and means for effecting a transfer of funds in the amount of the payment amount of the payment request from the account affiliated with the recipient to the account for receiving the payment.
 10. A payment transfer system for transferring funds from a payer to a payee, where the payer transfers the funds in a first currency and the payee receives the funds in a second currency, comprising: a first online banking service accessible by the payer, the first online banking service comprising means for designating a payee, means for specifying a payment amount in the first currency for a transfer of funds and a payer account from which to draw funds in the first currency, and means for debiting said funds in the first currency from said payer account and crediting said funds in the first currency to a first trust account; means for converting the payment amount in the first currency to a payment amount in the second currency; a second online banking service accessible by the payee, the second online banking service comprising means for identifying the payee, means for specifying a payee account to receive the funds of the payment amount of the second currency, and means for debiting the funds in the second currency from a second trust account and crediting the funds in the second currency to the payee account; and means for reconciling the trust accounts of the first and second online banking services.
 11. The payment transfer system of claim 10, wherein said means for identifying the payee further comprise means for initiating a request to respond to one or more challenge-response questions defined by the payer, and means for processing responses to the challenge-response questions, verifying the accuracy of the responses and effecting a financial transaction only where the responses are verified to be accurate.
 12. A payment transfer method for transferring funds from a payer to a payee, where the payer transfers the funds in a first currency and the payee receives the funds in a second currency, comprising the steps of: accessing a first online banking service affiliated with the payer; designating a payee; specifying a payment amount in the first currency for a transfer of funds and a payer account from which to draw funds in the first currency; debiting said funds in the first currency from said payer account and crediting said funds in the first currency to a first trust account; converting the payment amount in the first currency to a payment amount in the second currency; accessing a second online banking service affiliated with the payee; identifying the payee; specifying a payee account to receive the funds of the payment amount of the second currency; debiting the funds in the second currency from a second trust account and crediting the finds in the second currency to the payee account; and reconciling the trust accounts of the first and second online banking services.
 13. The payment transfer method of claim 12, wherein said step of identifying the payee further comprises the steps of initiating a request to respond to one or more challenge-response questions defined by the payer, processing responses to the challenge-response questions, verifying the accuracy of the responses and effecting a financial transaction only where the responses are verified to be accurate. 